lately i have been completely obsessed with florals (i feel like i instagram an arrangement at least once a week.) i wasn’t kidding when i did this post saying it was one of my dream jobs.
i think it’s important for us to recognize things that make us happy that are outside of our current job because you never know what you might end up doing one day. i meet people in blogshop ALL the time that want to launch a completely different career around something they have always adored but never pursued.
i love seeing florists develop their own signature style too. lately i have been really into the more wild bouquets, mixing unique color combinations, fruits and succulents…but still keeping those staples that we all love in there. isn’t this one up above so interesting? what a piece of art.
but then on the other hand i am always impressed with how wonderful just a few simple, delicate flowers in a glass can be. that pale pink is so calming.
oh, and have a wonderful week you guys. i had a bittersweet weekend in kentucky with my family for my little sister’s college graduation which was fun (lexington is gorgeous!). we ended up having to put our childhood cat to sleep which was terribly sad. he lived for 17 years and was like a family member to us. i am happy he is no longer in pain and that we all got to be with him for his last days.
mother’s day is fast approaching, and this year i’m teaming up with the very talented la artist kelly lamb & one of our floral contributors moon canyon design to give your mom a custom bouquet AND vase on her special day!
it’s always nice to get flowers but it’s something else when they come collected in a piece of art. all kelly’s pieces are made right here in silverlake. i especially love how her clean geo lines add such a cool texture to the floral arrangement.
to celebrate this pairing we are excited to do a giveaway just in time for mother’s day! one (la-based) winner will win a moon canyon floral arrangement inside a kelly lamb geo vase (shown above) and will be delivered to your mom!
here’s how to win…(CLOSED)
1. comment below telling us what your mom’s favorite flower is!
one winner will be chosen on wednesday, may 8th at 10am PST. open to los angeles residents only (your mom must live in LA). the retail value is $360.
a few weeks ago we decided to team up with splendid and throw a party. i thought it would be fun to meet more readers in person and be able to just hang out on a saturday afternoon.
so of course i brought on the help of some of my awesome contributors. moon canyon design created these floral hair accessories for people to take home and wear during the event. my jaw dropped when i saw that cart full of florals roll in!
people were able to watch kristen assembling these at her station and then we passed out the finished floral combs on trays to everyone in the room. check out the animation below to see her assemble one from start to finish…we used glue dots to hold them down, but for bigger flowers you can add a wire through the stem and tie it around the comb.
turns out…no one can resist putting them in their hair!
one of my favorite LA caterers, whoa nelly, provided all sorts of small appetizers & drinks for people to enjoy while they walked around and mingled. they always do a fantastic job at presentation…we had edible flowers, mini sandwiches, and bamboo cups with a delicious farro salad.
the whole party was based on splendid’s new “earn your stripes” loyalty program. people were able to shop with 20% off during the event and even got some pretty great gifts with purchase. natalie & kristen are both wearing splendid below…i am in love with those striped pants. it looks great paired with that patterned shirt, eh?
speaking of natalie…she runs our DIY column with me and created some pretty epic props for people to take photos with. i mean, a banana phone? genius! she used large pieces of cardboard and covered them with with splendid fabric to keep the stripes theme. she also created this simple striped background by sewing three different fabric panels together (this would be so simple to do with your extra scraps!)
and of course our friends at smilebooth…we could never forget them. they provide us endless fun (i think i’ve posed in one of these about 300 times and somehow it’s still entertaining) if you don’t know about smilebooth…you get a remote, snap your own photos, they show up on the screen and print out in seconds for you to keep and they go online for everyone to look at after. you can brand them for your parties. they really do make a party come alive.
and now…the moving version. modshift put together this video, documenting us setting everything up and then when everyone arrived! it’s pretty fun to see it all come together…
thanks so much to my team for putting together such a fantastic event. so much love to all of you.
we are flowering the studio of the uber talented textile designer rachel craven today! rachel is a really close gal pal of mine and so I was super excited to pay a visit to her new downtown studio and check out her latest works.
all rachel’s linens are made by hand here in LA. i love her clean lines and attention to detail…like the metallic copper stitching or neon pops on flax fabric. i was inspired to make rachel a little something different, so i put together a wreath + garland of spring florals that could hang in her new space.
both rachel and i are big fans of monochromatic tones in pale shades of cream, white, and greens. this earthy and organic wreath was something i knew would match rachel’s studio space and linens perfectly.
doesn’t this make you want to have a craft day at rachel’s studio? and you can get the apron she is wearing right here!
apart from being a textile designer, rachel is also co-organizer of the echo park craft fair which is a collective of local artist who gather twice a year to sell their wares. this is really such an amazing event. this year it is going to be held may 11th + 12th (mother’s day weekend) in downtown los angeles. all the details are still being worked out…but save the date! i’ll be there with flowers for all the mothers and lovers out there! -kristen
we east side girls traveled west to visit linus bikes in venice beach. just off the abbot kinney strip and down a tiny garden path is a beach bungalow surrounded with bikes and full of beautifully made baskets, bells, and all sorts of other must haves to style your ride.
i really love the linus look! sleek and chic. reminiscent of the french bicycle design of the 50’s and 60’s. its with this spirit that the sweet people at linus let us take the bikes out on the town for an afternoon of flowers, farmers markets, and fresh juice. all day long I kept saying to myself that it doesn’t get better than this!
in keeping with the spring farmers market afternoon i filled the baskets with all sorts of spring flowers like daffodils, ranunculus, fritillaria. i also incorporated sweet pea tendrils and kale into this bouquet to give it that extra from the garden touch.
another great find of the day were the beautiful white forsythia branches which have a sweet fragrance. (i must have left a spring scented trail behind me.)
if in venice be sure to take stroll into linus. we heart them and their bikes! -kristen
and guess what! we are GIVING AWAY A BIKE!
here’s how to win one of these linus bikes! (CLOSED)
1. head over to the linus bikes site and tell me your favorite product from their shop! bike or basket and leave us a comment below! we hope this ends up in the hands of someone who has been really wanting a new bike!
Why hello there designlovefest readers! Welcome to my place of inspiration + creation. Thanks for stopping by. I believe in giving credit where credit is due, so if at any time you see work that is improperly recognized, please send me quick note and I’ll gladly update the information. Similarly, all graphic design elements and layouts present here were created specifically for designlovefest and should therefore be credited appropriately if reposted. We like to keep things nice and friendly here on the web, you see. It’s all about spreading the love. Ok, enough serious talk....go get inspired!
and leave us a comment below! we hope this ends up in the hands of someone who has been really wanting a new bike!
